Merkley: You see, we just didn’t realize that we’d created a monster

posted at 12:01 pm on November 14, 2013 by Erika Johnsen

Of course, it’s possible that the entire thing is about to become void in a few minutes anyway (see Allahpundit’s open thread for more on that), but just because it so thoroughly highlights the progressive hypocrisy/bum-covering going on all over the place, here you go: On Wednesday, Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley (who is up for reelection in 2014, hem hem) really got the Democrats’ ObamaCare panic-party going in full swing when he announced that he intends to co-sponsor Sen. Landreiu’s [unworkable] version of emergency “keep your plan” legislation. Here’s his reasoning, via The Oregonian:

In a telephone interview, Merkley said that he and other supporters of the 2010 law failed to understand that it didn’t have strong enough “grandfather” provisions ensuring that people could keep policies that existed at the time.

“It was a significant failure to understand that the grandfathering had this flaw in it,” said Merkley, “and now that it’s recognized, we’ve got to fix it.”

The senator added that “we just didn’t fully understand” that during the three years before the new law went completely into effect, many people would migrate to other coverage or be forced off these grandfathered plans. …

“Let’s fix it for the couple percent” that are facing cancellations, Merkley said, “but let’s not forget that for the other 95-plus percent, all kinds of positive impacts are happening to our health care system.”

…How did he ‘fail to understand,’ not only that the “grandfathering had this flaw in it,” but that it is indeed not a flaw at all? Did he and all of the other Democrats currently feigning surprise, befuddlement, and indignation really not understand that the law must force people to pay more for health insurance they don’t necessarily want/need in order to cover some of the costs of higher-risk participants? Because that’s kind of the point. As Jim Geraghty notes at NRO, there were any number of very vociferous voices aptly warning that all of this would happen, to which Democrats willfully chose not to listen.

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It sounds, from today’s presser that Obama himself is essentially backing a “keep your plan” bill. He knows, of course, that it cannot work and if it did would kill Obamacare. In short, he is lying his ever-loving a$$ off again.

Not just “to the ground”, but burning everything on that ground. Unfortunately, it’s the same ground that the rest of us are standing on.

Hey dems and various Indonesian dog-eaters … 1-800-F1UCKYO!!

We need a national divorce to be rid of these suicidal maniac errors of evolution and the Vichy Republicans who have appeased them and helped them at every turn. Let that scum burn in their own country. I want nothing to do with them … other than dealing swiftly and harshly with any of the slugs who try to breach our borders to escape the hellhole they are so intent on fashioning wherever they spend their useless … nay, destructive, existences.

I say bull crap!!! They knew exactly what they were doing! They been trying to get this for decades. Reagan spoke of it and explained the reasons they wanted it! What was Hillery care? 2000 pages of regulations and fines and yet no one knew what was in it? Some one or ones wrote the damn thing, but now they claim they had no idea. Bullcrap. If they didn’t know then they weren’t doing the job they were elected to do, or they knew, either way they need to answer for this piece of totalitarian crap. I’m tired of the ignorance defense as if that absolves them from their jobs to pass legislation that they don’t even read. Bull they knew full well what they were doing and didn’t care until it jumped up and bit them in their large useless asses. Get all the scum out now!

Who wrote the bill? Not the name of some group…who actually wrote the bill? What are their names, what is their ideological history..who did they align themselves with..what other organizations do they support?
These should be obvious questions that the most transparent administration would have no hesitation in providing the answers.

I fully understand. It runs the gamut over there. From celebrating because this gets them closer to single-payer to outright disgust ala us vs. John McCain. The initial reads are the really funny ones as they wait for him to show up at his own presser. Most are fairly pissed 28 minutes later when he finally takes the mic and then it goes down at full throttle when he declares insurance companies can offer the old plans.

“It was a significant failure to understand that the grandfathering had this flaw in it,” said Merkley, “and now that it’s recognized, we’ve got to fix it.”

This brought to us by the same jerks who want us to ‘trust’ them to run the healthcare economy, er, system. Planned from the beginning or idiotic incompetence; either way it is frightening that this is our ‘ruling class’.

“Didn’t realize…”?
Huh. Wonder how that happened.
Maybe reading it would have helped.

But , hey: Why bother reading a 2000 page document that needs URGENT passage (before implementation three years later), when you can just hide behind Dear Leader and his spectacular standing in the media and the court of public opinion?

Until he has none, and abandons you. And you’re out there exposed to your constituents, alone.
So. Very. Alone.

Of course, maybe if they read it before they passed it, this wouldn’t have happened. Maybe if they had allowed some opposition input, this wouldn’t have happened. Maybe if they left enough time between the finished bill and the voting, they would have read it – but I doubt it. Most librul/marxist/dhimocrapts cant read. example: Debby Wasserman Sheist. I believe the judge in your IRS hearing told you that ignorance of the law is no excuse, even when you are deliberately ignorant (or born that way).

As a resident of the benighted state of Oregon, I remembered the despair that I felt in November of 2008 when I knew that as worthless a squish Republican that Senator Gordon Smith was, he was about to be replaced by something much, much worse: an arrogant, lying, smug donk, devoid alike of integrity, embarrassment or shame.

Remember the Communist’s ObamaRats mantra a few days ago: “Its the law! We won the election! The SC upheld it!! IT CANNOT BE CHANGED!” Let it burn and all that supported it or FULL REPEAL! No tinkering around the edges or putting it on life support until the media propagandists cover up the truth! Burn Baby Burn! The Liar-in-Chief has forfeited any say in the outcome of the law at this time! His fraud has crippled his moral authority to be president! In the real would he would go to jail for such massive malfeasance, deceit, and fraud!

“Let’s fix it for the couple percent” that are facing cancellations, Merkley said, “but let’s not forget that for the other 95-plus percent, all kinds of positive impacts are happening tothey will be screwed next year by our health care system.”

“We din’t read it because it’s all ’bout insurance, an’ that’s complicated. We just have law degrees, so we can’t unnerstan’ all that kinda, you know, stuff.”

/Low-info Dem trying to alibi self to LIVs now turning on Dems.

I honestly wonder how many of the Dems in Congress came by their degrees (law or otherwise) honestly. I studied law, and it requires many of the same faculties science does, especially the ability to understand and effectively communicate facts.

I compare the statements coming from the supposed legal eagles who rammed this down the American peoples’ throats, and a typical analysis of practically anything by RWM, and I have no doubt who I would want defending me in court. And it wouldn’t be one of the useless gits sitting in Congress.

You better watch out, Sophie. I may be calling you up on business someday. ;-)

Democrats cannot be trusted! They do not care about the horrible effect on the whole country with this abuse of power. They didn’t know!! Of course they didn’t know because no one read the Bill before it was voted on! But maybe they did know. Congress and the administration exempted themselves!! A living nightmare for this country.

When a Senator admits he didn’t understand what he was voting for, he deserves to be run out of office. It’s not enough to say you trusted your leaders, when you DIDN’T EVEN READ THE BILL, or try to understand it.

When a Senator admits he didn’t understand what he was voting for, he deserves to be run out of office. It’s not enough to say you trusted your leaders, when you DIDN’T EVEN READ THE BILL, or try to understand it.

flataffect on November 14, 2013 at 4:09 PM

Yeah, but he’s from Oregon, 4 of 5 districts are Democrat here. Unfortunately he’s proven over and over again he’s a typical lefty… no brains. So, uh, yea, he’ll be re-elected for sure.

But, but… A national central planning committee taking over control of 20% of the national economy with a single 100% partisan bill has always worked so well all around the world.

And it goes without saying that having a handful of professors in the college lounge running such is always better and smarter than having 315 million people doing what they know is best for themselves.